Automatic mine-gate.



PATENTED FEB. 21, 1905.

J. A. JOYCE.

AUTOMATIC MINE GATE.

APPLICATIOH FILED AUG. 14,1903.

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NITED STATES Patented February 21, 1905.

PATENT tries.

JAMES A. JOYCE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN MINE DOORCOMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC MINE-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 783,282, dated February21, 1905. Application filed August 14,19oa Serial No. 169,449.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMus A. JoYou, residing at Cleveland, countyofCuyahoga, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Mine-Gates; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

In gates for controlling the drafts of air in the entries, passages, anddrifts of mines it is desirable to secure quick action of the gate inopening and closing in opening to prevent the car from running againstand injuring the gate and in closing so as not to appreciably interruptthe predetermined currents of air necessary to ventilate the workingparts of the mine. Simplicity of construction in the gateoperatingmechanism is likewise an item of vital consequence.

The gate is of the type adapted to fold upward in puckers and isattached overhead to a cross-piece and strengthened transversely bybars, slats, or the like.

For a full description of the inventionand the merits thereof and alsoto acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means foreffecting the result reference is to be had to the following descriptionand the drawings hereto attached.

hile the essential and characteristic features of the invention arenecessarily susceptible of modification, still the preferred em bodimentof the invention is illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in whiclFigure l is a top view of the gate and the operating mechanism. Fig. IIis a side elevation of the gate and the operating mechanism. Dottedlines show closed position.

A main gate-frame is provided comprising the uprights 2 and thecross-piece 3. Adjacent this frame is a movable frame upon which arepivotally secured the gate-arms 8, which are also supported and guidedfrom the mine-gate frame, as will hereinafter appear. This movable frameconsists of rods 6 and a cross-piece 7 at top, which is securely fas-The lower ends of rods 6 are securely fastened to a rock-shaft 25,

which is pivotally mounted in bearings 26.

At the upper end of this frame is pivotally fastened the upper end ofthe gate-arms 8, while at the lower end of the gate-arms 8 is securelyfastened the flexible gate 4, which is provided with a stilfening-piece1 at bottom for keeping the gate in line and also securing the lowerends of the gate-arms 8 together. The said gate-arms 8 are constructedwith one long member having connected thereto two short brace members,either straight or curved; but in this case I have shown them straight.The two short brace members are fastened to the long member atconvenient points, and these two braces are fastened together at aconvenient point 9. At or near this point there is a pin upon whichthere is mounted a roller 9 There are two of these rollers 9, located atthe point of fastening of the brace members for each arm 8. Theserollers maybe of any convenient shape and are adapted to roll withinguide members 10 10, one of which is provided for each roller 9. Theseguides 10 are curved to permit of the swing of the pivoted brace membersand are supported by armalO, which extend in pairs from each of theuprightsQ 2 of the main gate-frame. The arrangement of the rollers 9whereby they travel in the curved guides 10 is such as to constituteslidable pivots for the braces of the gate-arms, and the changing of thepivotal point of the braces allows a backwardand-forward movement of thepoint at which the gate -arms are pivoted to the movable frame. Thisaction of the brace members as guided in their movement by the curvedguides in which engage the rollers 9 is what istcrmed slidable in thesense in which I use this term with reference to the changing pivotalpoint. The upper end of the gate-arm 8 is extended to receive anadjustable counterweight 11, which counterbalances the gatearms, wherebythe actuation of the gate is rendered comparatively easy.

When the gate is-installed, the rod 6 is made to incline toward thegate-frame, which allows the gate-arms 'to hang vertically down,unfolding the gate-curtain.

The method of automatically operating the at M gate is by a series ofrock-shafts 12, which are located at convenient places on opposite sidesof the plane of the gate and connected for simultaneous operation, theshafts on one side of the gate rotating in opposite direction to theshafts on the other side.

The levers 13 and 14 are securely fastened to the rock-shafts 12. Theends of levers 14 are pivotally connected to the depressible trip-rails16. Similar depressible trip-rails 17 are normally inclined andpivotally supported at their outer ends upon a tie or other suitablemeans and have depending arms 18 at their inner ends connected by links19 with a lug on the end of trip-rails 16 to allow for the relative playbetween the adjacent ends of the trip-rails when in operation.

Levers 13 are keyed or otherwise secured to the outer ends ofrock-shafts 12 and are connected in .a manner presently to be described,so asto effect a simultaneous operation of the rock-shafts.

The levers 13, secured to the rock-shafts upon opposite sides of thegate, project in opposite directions, and links 20 are pivoted midway oftheir ends to all except the outermost lever 13. rods 21, which aresecured to the links 20,

while these links are connected by rods 22,

extending between the same. The innermost levers 13 are each connectedwith the rod 6 of the movable frame, one being connected therewith bythe rod 23 just above the rockshaft 25, while the other is connectedthereto by the rod 24:, secui ed to the rod 6, just below the saidrock-shaft.

The rods, levers, links, and rock-shafts on the right-hand side of thegate are of similar construction to those just described on theleft-hand side of the gate, only that they operate in opposite directionto the same.

All of the rods 21 22 23 24 may be provided with turnbuckles foradjustment, so as to allow for variation in assembling the parts wheninstalling the gates in a mine.

* The links 20 prevent straining of the rods or connections attachedthereto when the rockshafts movc in their hearings to efiect anactuation of the gate.

The'rock-shafts 12 are mounted alike in bearings 27, which bearings aresecurely fastened to supports 28. The rock-shafts are provided withcollars 29, which are movable on the rock-shafts and are provided withsetscrews for holding the collars in place on the rock-shafts.

When the rock-shafts have been permanently adjusted, the collars 29 areslid along the rock-shafts up to the bearings 27 and secured in placeagainst the same by the setscrews, which prevents the rock-shafts frommoving longitudinally in the bearings.

The gate-arms 8 are normally inclined downward or nearly vertical, asshown by dotted To the outermost levers 13 are connected 1. A flexiblemine-gate, suspended from a v frame, slidably-pivoted arms extendingbeneath the gate for foldingit upward and supporting the folds, andactuating mechanism, substantially as shown and described.

2. A device of the type set forth, comprising a main gate-frame, amovable frame pivoted at one end adjacent said gate-frame,slidably-pivoted arms secured thereto, a flexible mine-gate carriedthereby, a guide for supporting the slidably-pivoted portion of saidarms, and actuating mechanism pivotally connected to the movable frame,substantially as set forth.

3. A flexible n'1inegate, a frame carrying the same, gate-arms extendingnormally downward and substantially vertical, a counterweight forcounterbalancing the gate and gatearms, a movable frame pivotallysupporting the upper ends of the gate-arms, a slidablypivoted supportfor the gate-arms, and actuating mechanism, substantially as described.

4:. A flexible mine-gate suspended from a frame, a gate-arm extendingnormally downward and nearly vertical, and across the lower end of thegate, a movable frame pivotally supporting the upper end of thegate-arm, a slidably-pivoted support for the gate-arm acting incombination with the movable frame, a depressible trip-rail adapted tobe actuated by a moving car and connections between the same and movableframe,-substantially as set forth.

5. In a device of the character described, a main gate-frame, a flexiblegate, gate-arms carrying the same, brace members secured to saidgate-arms forming a slidable pivot for said arms, means carried by themain frame to guide the said slidable pivot of the arms, a movable framepivotally mounted at its lower end near the gate-frame and beingpivotally connected to the gate-arms at its upper end, and means foractuating said movable frame to actuate said arms, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

JAMES A. JOYCE.

Witnesses:

H. D. MILLER, T. MALEY.

